Chapter One – Peace Of Mind

He really had no idea how long he'd been in space with the two Plookesians that picked him up on earth so long ago. Well…it seemed like a long time ago. With all the time and space rifts and the wormholes they frequently traveled through, time was almost useless to him. But if he had to guess, he'd say a nice two years.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself, though he really had no way to be sure. With no sun or moon to pass regularly, he had no idea what amount of time counted for a day.

Dwicky sighed and rolled over, not even looking at the clock next his small bed. The symbols glared angrily at him, beckoning him, but he refused. "You're useless to me." he grumbled out against his pillow, showing that the thought of time was an ever constant thing on his mind.

Not at all liking being ignored, the clock seemed to plot silently. With the silent electronic flick of light as one symbol shifted to another, a loud blare shattered the darkness and sent a startled Dwicky flailing off the side of the bed.

With the sheets wrapped around him, hindering his movements, he threw himself back on the small bed and slammed a mummified hand down on the obnoxious noise-making thing. Dwicky sighed happily from beneath his shield of sheets and promptly collapsed back on the bed.

Only to sit straight up at the sound of his door sliding open.

"Hey there Dwick!" came a rather pleased voice from his door. Dwicky only grunted in response. It was Mooshy. Mooshy seemed to wait silently as Dwicky found his way out of the rumpled sheets around him and gave a loud chuckle when the disheveled human finally appeared.

"I didn't sleep well." Dwicky said, answering the unspoken question. The oddly shaped alien shrugged his mechanical arms before leaning against the door.

"We did run into a bad solar storm earlier. I'm surprised you slept at all." The yellow alien grinned from behind his casing.

"Yeah, well, I was debating on strapping myself in the first time I found myself on the ceiling." Dwicky rubbed the back of his head and winced when his hand grazed the bruise back there. Truth be told, the storm wasn't the reason he slept poorly, but he refused to say anything about his earlier musings to his friend. But he figured the alien already knew anyway, so why bother dwelling.

"Yeah…Sorry bout that. Spoopty wasn't able to put the shields up before a magnetic wave from the storm shut off the gravity-unit." He grinned wildly again, snapping his fingers in Dwicky's direction. "Look on the brightside—it only happened once?" Dwicky shook his head with a small chuckle.

"I'll take that." He said as he moved to get out of bed, yawning greatly as he did so. "So where are we headed today?"

"Well, Spoopty is docking on an Irken snacking planet, the best around from my understanding."

"Yeah? What's this magnificent place called?" Dwicky trudged to the small closet that the once-storage-room-now-his-room came with and rifled through some of the clothes he had acquired on his travels.

"Foodcourtia." Mooshy pushed himself off the door frame and took a step back, about to leave. "So hurry up! We need substance! Fooooooooood—" He continued howling food as the door slid shut in between he and Dwicky, allowing the human some privacy.

Dwicky shook his head, laughing lightly to himself. He had picked two of the strangest aliens to team up.

-x-x-x-x-

The planet was teeming with things. Humanoid things, animal and monster-looking things…blob things…

Dwicky had seen a lot on his travels, but this was amazing. Almost every alien species seemed to be stuffed somewhere in the crowd, hailing for cabs, sitting in booths and at tables, and even behind registers. He couldn't stop staring.

Spoopty let out a loud laugh, slapping Dwicky hard on the back to get his attention. "Most species don't like you staring like that."

"Oh geez." Dwicky flushed embarrassedly. "I couldn't help it. This place is massive and full of so much stuff to look at!"

"Well good to know after all you've seen, it doesn't frighten your tiny human brain!" Mooshy wiggled mechanical fingers at him in a teasing manner and Dwicky scoffed, batting them away.

"Don't make me draw on your bubble again!" Dwicky emphasized his point by poking the glass dome repeatedly as Mooshy squealed, his arms trying to shoo Dwicky away.

"Yo! Fingerprints man, fingerprints!" Spoopty could only laugh as his friend was assaulted by the earthlings hands.

"Guys, I'm really hungry. Stop messin' around or I'll make both of you regret acting so childish." Spoopty said authoritatively and crossed his arms over the tall stalk that held them up.

"What a way to speak to your Captain!" Dwicky gasped, dodging a long mechanical arm as it reached for him. Mooshy stopped in mid swing and looked up.

"Hey. EarthStink has a point!" He seemed to forget Dwicky for a moment and started advancing on Spoopty, an evil gleam in his eye.

That is until Dwicky tackled him from behind, wrapping his arms over the large metal housing for Mooshy's two arms, and locking his legs over the alien's glass casing. "Call ME names will you!? Mwahahahaa!!" Mooshy squealed in surprise and flailed helplessly trying to dislodge the human from atop him.

Spoopty laughed hoarsely and without a second glance, walked away, still laughing at the other's antics.

-x-x-x-x-

After a rather uneventful police chase, hiding in some trashcans, more fighting, and a distressing call to Spoopty, the two bedraggled aliens found their way to their friend who was lounging on a bench outside a large and interesting fast-food restaurant.

Dwicky and Mooshy looked incredibly pleased with themselves and their prideful gaits only got them scoffed at by Spoopty.

"I swear guys. I don't know why we try and go out in public anymore." But his voice was light, and his whole manner screamed that he had been laughing for quite a while.

"You know you love us!" Dwicky smiled brightly and plopped down next to Spoopty.

"So this where we eatin'?" Mooshy asked as he looked past the other two.

"Unless you got a better idea." He narrowed one eye as if he raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, Shloogorgh's is fine with me! I want a Vort-Shake anyway."

Dwicky just let what they were talking about settle over him as they continued to discuss what they wanted. He had pretty much decided to let them order for him since his Irken was not nearly as polished as he wanted it to be.

He watched as his friends debated back and forth about which flavor of Vort-Shake was the best, and finally deciding on just getting both.

Dwicky smiled to himself as they all started towards the bustling fast-food restaurant, happy with his random thoughts that such a spontaneous decision had landed him two great friends and opportunities most people would die for.

Dwicky was certain this peace would never end.

He didn't hear their communicators beep. He had headed to the restrooms without a word. They were going to order for him after all.

He didn't hear his friends' pleadings.

He didn't see them look for him.

Didn't hear them call his name.

He didn't see them reluctantly leave, porting back to their ship soon after.

In fact, well after he got back from the restroom…after his laughter died…and the realization that they weren't hiding set in…and the panic subsided…Dwicky found himself staring off into space as he sat, feeling boneless, in one of the booths there in the restaurant.

But this time he heard the beeping of his own communicator.

And he heard the apologies of his friends.

And he realized that that peace of mind he had was gone.

Oh what oh what did his friend leave for and what did they say to him upon finally getting in touch with him!? Find out next time! Yay!!